


One Second

by pedalprince



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2480447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pedalprince/pseuds/pedalprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before he knew it, Hinata was no longer by his side.... [Contains character injury.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Second

It took only one second for Hinata Shoyo to tumble to the ground with a sickening thud.  
It had been an accident, the person driving the car had sworn - but seeing Hinata flying, hearing him cry out, and then bearing the silence until the blare of the ambulance woke him away from shock, made Kageyama Tobio very nearly slap the offender on the scene. The guilt in the man’s eyes and the firm holding back of Sugawara were enough to stop him just before, but biting his lip and biting back harsh calls kept him reeling.

It had started as a normal morning, as far as anyone knew.

Hinata was with Kageyama in the shopping district. They were out together on an sunny Saturday, since Hinata was curious about a new ramen place that offered free meals to anyone who could finish the biggest sized bowls. When he had heard this, he called immediately upon Kageyama, who agreed to the challenge without any hesitation. (Plus, if they enjoyed a meal at no cost but a full belly, he didn’t see any problem with it at all.)

Hinata had been laughing, his face pink with the effort it had taken, but he finished his bowls and victoriously walked out, jogging along the sidewalk and singing some summer pop song he heard on the radio when he had gotten up that day. Kageyama was a few seconds short, distracted by the joy of Hinata’s winning, but he payed the restaurant as he rolled his eyes and followed Hinata with a defeated but somewhat amused expression. One of them won still, after all, and Kageyama for once didn’t feel like denying Hinata the fruit of his labor. He was too full to snap at the winner of the day, he insisted, and the two of them began their trek back to the Hinata household, where they planned to marathon some of the volleyball matches Takeda-sensei had managed to record along with their teammates. It did explain, later, why Sugawara and the others reached the accident area so quickly (Hinata didn’t live too far from where they were and could reach the district on foot).

  
Kageyama wondered if it was worth the free ramen as Hinata Shoyo crossed the pedestrian walk alone, not realizing that everyone else had stopped and backed up suddenly for a speeding and wobbling passenger car further down the road. It happened faster than Kageyama or anyone could react. A mother turned her child away, another high school girl screamed and burst into tears - but Kageyama could only grip the light pole in shock, could only find enough of his sapped energy to call the ambulance with shaking hands. It didn’t feel real for even a second.

The team rushed over and began making phone calls to their coach and the Hinata family, and to each other to call anyone over who hadn’t arrived. When the police finally came, they ordered the witnesses over, and the nervous group of teens and adults blurted out what they could manage to recall. Kageyama was stock still, quivering, as he spoke to the policeman. He gave them even less information than the little girl who had her eyes closed. He couldn’t even think straight, and his voice was near a whisper.

When the man came out of the car, frantically apologizing, the EMT staff noted that while Hinata had suffered a trauma shock as would be expected, the child would more than likely survive and recover. Hearing this, he laughed in broken relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. But Kageyama snapped, and he lurched forward, very nearly knocking the man in front of him to the concrete. Sugawara stopped him with one arm and apologized, ushering Kageyama away. But the rest of the team saw, in their vice captain’s eyes too, an icy glare that showed his true feelings. He was far from not doing the same as his kohai.

And when they visited the hospital a few days later, Asahi walked away from the narrow door window with tears in his eyes. Hinata’s mother was holding Natsu’s hand, bended over and sobbing in a little plastic chair that made the room look even colder.

Kageyama stood in there the next morning alone. He put a single daisy in the empty vase by the bed, taking his customary place in the tiny chair and clasping his hands together. Clammy still, he thought irritably. Hinata was sleeping soundly. His legs and face seemed only scratched, and he had a broken arm and ribs. Slight internal bleeding, but that and bruising were the worst of his injuries. It was mostly the shock of the hit which kept him chained in sleep.

_What a peaceful expression. You dumbass._

The doctor had said that he should take the rest of the year off volleyball, but that he could return to the team the following spring as long as he stayed faithful to his treatment and therapy. He would technically be well before then, but the rigor demanded by training and competition would make his condition worse. The looks the third years wore when they heard the verdict was one that broke the hearts of the second years the most.

“Take him to nationals, okay?” Daichi had murmured the previous day, trying hard not to cry as he held tight to the hospital bedframe. “Take everyone there, and don’t stop until you do.  _You hear me?_ ”

“Loud and clear.” Nishinoya replied, not even trying to stop the flow down his cheeks and saluting his captain with determination.

“I…don’t want to say we can’t do it with the rest of us. If we get that far, I know he’ll cheer us on, and we will give our all to fight. But I also know that Hinata deserves to stand on that stage just as much as the rest. Bring us there again, and let everyone hear that Karasuno’s #10 is a force to be reckoned with too!” Daichi began to laugh, but his tears soon burst through the dam, rushing down and making his laughter crack and sputter.

Suga immediately went to him and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder, not looking at anyone in the room.

“Everyone’s acting like the world’s ending. You better wake up soon.” Kageyama muttered, leaning forward to stare out the window. The sunrise was painting the sky with a stunning orange and pink and blue. It was cloudless, and the radio announced that the weather would be perfect for a swim or bike ride. It seemed like the world had still continued on, Kageyama thought to himself rather bitterly. It kept going anyway, no matter what. Kind of reminds me of a certain idiot…

And a few minutes later, with very little warning, a (cute and) sleepy groan escaped from Hinata Shoyo as his eyes fluttered slowly open. Tears sprung in his eyes as the brunt of his injury and pain hit him, but he felt a wave of calm when he spotted a sort of blurry Kageyama Tobio seated in the room.

“Kage…yama…?”

Kageyama jumped up and practically shouted, and a nurse hurried in to ask Hinata how he was feeling. Kageyama, last of the many, allowed his own tears to flow as he clenched his fists and tried with all he had not to run and shout in a burst of relief. Hinata teased him for it groggily when the nurse departed, his voice quiet and hoarse as he laughed to himself.

After a moment of silence, Hinata’s attention turned to the world outside the window. “Hey…Kageyama?”

Kageyama had been pacing the room, calling their team. When he hung up after a brief chat with Yamaguchi, he stopped his relentless walk and looked over. “Yeah?”

“Toss to me again at nationals next year, okay? Can you swear?” Hinata’s small and weak hand gripped the stark white sheets as he spoke.

Kageyama shrugged and stared straight at Hinata with a signature creepy grin. “I thought that was a given. Really, what has sleeping done to you?”

It took only another second, but the two burst into peals of laughter, crying for the 50th time that week. It was good laughter and good crying, though, and another 2 weeks later, Hinata was discharged and put on bed rest. When he was finally able to visit the team at a match, he personally brought a gigantic group to cheer, and Yachi had worked on a banner for the entire week previous, proudly swinging it over the rail and beaming along with Hinata, who waved to Kageyama with his same sunny smile.

 _“The crow which always flies, the team that flies together”_ , the sign read.

And it must have been a good luck charm, because as the team stood on the national stage that year, they all told the TV personnel that they had their strongest decoy to thank. Kageyama insisted they all wave to Hinata before the match, and when the whistle blew, Kageyama murmured something no one could hear.

“As long as you’re here, I’m invincible, too.”


End file.
